Stamp dispensing device



Sept. .15, 1964 Filed Dec. 31, 1962 R. F. JOYCE STAMP DISPENSING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 @kfiarrd 52. Joyce min:-

R. F. JOYCE STAMP DISPENSING DEVICE Sept. 15, 1964 -4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 31, 1962 Qdbard g-byae pmiaz' by M 2 final? Sept. 15, 1964 R. F. JOYCE 3,143,813

STAMP DISPENSING DEVICE Filed Dec. 31, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. 6

fi'ehan? Q Joya? (j Bah! by G/c 0% q P 15, 1964 R. F. JOYCE 3,148,813

STAMP DISPENSING DEVICE Filed Dec. 31, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent 3,148,313 STAMP DISPENSKNG DEVHCE Richard F. Eoyce, 26 S. Park St, Bradford, Mass. Fiied Dec. 31, 1962, Ser. No. 243,418 3 Claims. (Cl. 225-16) This invention relates to a device for dispensing a varying quantity of stamps from a supply roll. More particularly it relates to a manually actuated device adapted to dispense automatically a desired but varying number of stamps, such as trading stamps, postage stamps or the like from a supply roll of such stamps.

The use of trading stamps is a widespread retail merchandising custom. Normally one such stamp is given for each ten cents of the customers purchase and the stamps received in this way are redeemable later by the customer (usually after being pasted into books supplied for that purpose) for various gifts at redemption stores maintained by the stamp supplying company. Trading stamps are normally supplied to the retail store either in sheets of twenty, sheets of one hundred or more, or in two varieties of rolls. One such roll contains a. long strip of stamps in roll form one stamp wide. The other variety of roll contains a strip of stamps in roll form five stamps wide.

When the stamps are obtained in sheet form the store clerk after totaling the purchase has to count out the proper number of stamps, usually ten for each dollars Worth of purchase plus extra stamps for the odd multiples of ten cents. This is a time consuming task that slows down service and is expensive in terms of the clerks services. In some instances an effort is made to separate the sheets of stamps during slack periods into groups of stamps corresponding to quantities frequently used, and to segregate these groups of stamps in a drawer provided for this purpose. When this is done it is relatively easy to mix the groups and thereby to give out incorrect quantities of stamps.

Rolls of stamps are supplied particularly for use in stamp dispensing machines of which there are several varieties in common use. All of these machines however are rather delicate electrically actuated devices which get out of order rather readily, are difficult to repair and which are very expensive to purchase and to maintain.

There is a real need for a simple, rugged, inexpensive stamp dispensing device. It is the object of this invention to provide such a dispensing device.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the device of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view showing housing for the device;

FIG. 3 is a right side view corresponding to FIG. 2 but with the housing removed;

FIG. 4 is a left side view with the housing removed;

FIG. 5 is a back view with the housing removed;

FIG. 6 is a plan view along line 66 of FIGS. 3 and 5 with certain parts removed to show the details of construction;

FIG. 7 is a top view along line 77 of FIG. 1 showing details of the drive mechanism;

FIG. 8 is a partial side section along the line 8-8 of FIG. 1 showing details of the stamp delivery chute;

FIG. 9 is a cross section along 9-9 of FIG. 3 showing details of the stamp delivery chute; and

FIG. 10 is a partial section along line 16-10 of FIG. 2 showing details of the interrelation of the stamp dispensing device with the housing therefor.

In summary the device comprises the base 11 having an integral front 12 and a housing 13 having two sides 14, a back 15 and a bottom 16. The front 12 is pro vided with two dials 17 and 18 each of which is provided with eleven equally spaced finger holes indicated at 19 and 21 respectively. Each dial is mechanically connected to a drive mechanism indicated generally at 22 and 23 respectively, which drive mechanism advances stamps 24 from feed rolls 25 and 26 in the case of dial 17 and feed mechanism 22 and feed roll 27 in the case of dial 18 and feed mechanism 23 through openings 28 and 29 respectively in front 12.

The device is so regulated that as dial 18 is rotated a distance equal to the distance between successive finger holes 21 one stamp is ejected through opening 29, and as dial 17 is rotated a distance equal to the distance be tween successive finger holes 19 ten stamps are ejected through opening 28. Both openings 28 and 29 are provided With tear-off strips on both the upper and lower edge to assist in severing the ejected stamps from the remainder of the roll. In the case of opening 28 the upper and lower tear-off strips are indicated at 31 and 32 respectively and in the case of opening 29 the upper and lower tear-off strips are indicated at 33 and 34 respectively.

Dial 17 and dial 18 are both provided with a surrounding collar or bezel 35 and 36 respectively mounted on front 12 surrounding the dial and with a finger stop 37 and 38 respectively. Both bezels are marked with equally spaced indicia 39 indicating the number 1 through 0 counter-clockwise with the integer l appearing opposite the hole next above the hole coinciding with stops 37 and 38 and the integer 0 appearing opposite the hole next below said hole which coincides with stop 37 or 38. Thus to deliver a given number of stamps throughopening 29 it is merely necessary to place a finger in the hole 21 on dial 18 corresponding to that number and to rotate dial 18 clockwise until the finger meets stop 38.

Drive mechanisms 22 and 23 are substantially identical and both are as shown in detail in FIG. 7 which figure relates particularly to drive mechanism 22. In view of this the detailed description will be restricted to drive mechanism 22 and the corresponding parts of drive mechanism 23 Where such parts appear in other views will be denoted by the same number with a prime afiixed thereto.

Dial 17 is located in a circular hole having a slightly greater diameter than the diameter of dial 17 provided in front 12 of base 11 with its outer surface flush with the outer surface of bezel 35. Dial 17 is supported by a plate 41 which extends across said hole and is mounted on front 12 with its front surface abutting the rear surface of front 12. Dial 17 is provided with a hub 42 which is mounted on the end of rotating shaft 43 which in turn passes through plate 41 and is supported in collar 44 of bracket 45 which is fastened to the inner edge of plate 41. Bevel gear 46 is mounted on the inner end of shaft 43 where shaft 43 extends beyond collar 44. Bracket 45 is provided with a second shaft supporting collar 47 at right angles to collar 44, and collar 47 is provided with a shaft 48 on which is mounted bevel gear 49, the teeth of which intermesh with the teeth of gear 46. -A knurled 3 drive wheel 51 of substantial diameter is mounted on hub 52 which in turn is mounted on the end of shaft 48 beyond bevel gear 49 in a direction away from collar 47. Since drive wheel 51 is geared directly to dial 17 any movement of dial 17 results in a corresponding movement of drive wheel 51.

Bezel 35 and hub 42 are both of sufficient thickness that a substantial distance separates the back of dial 17 in the front of plate 41. Holes 19 are of a sufiicient diameter to permit easy entry of a finger. In combination this permits the clerk to insert his finger into holes 19 with the side (rather than the end) of the finger applying the force necessary to rotate dial 17. Finger stop 37 is mounted on the face of plate 41. A secondary finger stop 53 is provided behind stop 37 between the face of plate 41 and the rear surface of dial 17. Finger stop 53 is likewise mounted on plate 41. Eleven equally spaced holes indicated at 54, 54 are provided on the back surface of dial 17 just beyond hub 42. A detent spring 55 mounted on extension 56 of finger stop 53 is adapted to engage in each of the successive holes 54. Spring 55 in cooperation with holes 54 is adapted to bring each of holes 19 into alignment with finger stops 37 and 53 and to prevent dial 17 from being rotated in a counter-clockwise direction.

Knurled drive wheels 51 and 51' cooperate with stop feed mechanism indicated at 57 and 57 respectively and shown in detail in FIGURES 3, 4, 6, 8 and 9. As before the two stamp feed mechanisms are substantially identical except for width and the detailed description of the stamp feed mechanism will be in terms of mechanism 57 with the corresponding parts of mechanism 57' indicated by corresponding numbers but with a prime attached. Stamp feed mechanism 57 consists generally of slide 58 and cover plate 59. As shown in FIG. 9 the slide 58 is shaped like a Wide U being provided with a recess adapted to receive cover plate 59 and a further recess 61 beneath cover plate 59 adapted to receive stamps 24 in sliding engagement. The upper edges of the walls of recess 61 provide an abutment on each side for supporting cover plate 59. Cover plate 59 is maintained in position on slide 58 by the action of spring clip 62. Spring clip 62 is provided with two flat blades 63 and 64 adapted to engage the outer side of slide 58 and cover plate 59 respectively, and an oval spring 65 adapted to urge blades 63 and 64 toward each other and at the same time provide an easy means for removing clip 62.

A small knurled Wheel 66 mounted on axle 67 which in turn is mounted on bracket 68 is provided on the underside of slide 58 (to which brackets 68 are attached) in a position to contact the surface of large knurled wheel 51. A slot 69 is provided in slide 58 and a slot 71 is provided in cover plate 59 to permit wheel 66 to contact wheel 51. The upper surface of Wheel 66 just protrudes into recess 61 of slide 58. Slide 58 is provided with a bracket 72 located near its lower end. Bracket '72 is pivotally connected at 73 with bracket 74 provided on base 11. A spring 75 mounted between a projection 76 provided near the junction of bracket 68 with slide 58 and a corresponding projection 77 provided in base 11 keeps wheel 66 in firm contact with wheel 51.

As shown in detail in FIG. 8 the lower edge 78 of slide 58 projects through opening 23 (29 in case of 58') in front 12 and is bent downwardly in order to lie substantially parallel to front 12. Lower tear-off strip 28 (or 29) is fastened to this lower projection 78 (or 78'). At the upper end both slide 58 and cover plate 59 are provided with curved extensions 79 and 81 respectively. Extensions 79 and 81 curve away from each other and provide for easy passage of stamps 24 into recess 61. An outwardly extending tab 82 is provided so that slide 58 may be depressed readily to remove wheel 66 from contact with wheel 61 so that stamps 24 may be readily fed into recess 61 between wheels 66 and 51.

Stamp rolls 26 and 27 are mounted on axle 83 in a position directly behind knurled wheels 51 and 51' respectively. Axle 83 is supported by bracket 84 adjacent roll 26 and bracket 85 adjacent roll 27. Both bracket 84 and bracket 85 are mounted on base 11. Stamp roll 25 is supported on axle 86 in line with and above stamp roll 26. Axle 86 is supported by bracket 87 mounted on axle 83 and bracket 88 mounted on web 89 projecting from the inner upper side of front 12. A thin metal plate 91 is mounted over axle 83 and 86 immediately adjacent brackets 84 and 88. Plate 91 extends to the edge of feed mechanism 57 and provides an edge guide for stamps 24 as stamps 24 are unrolled from rolls 25 and 26. A similar plate 92 is provided between roll 27 and bracket 85 extending to feed mechanism 57' to provide an edge guide for stamps 24 as they are unrolled from roll 27. A roll retaining collar 93 is provided cooperating with axle 86 to retain stamp roll 25 next to plate 91. Corresponding collars 94, are provided on axle 83 for rolls 26 and 27. Collars 93, 94 and 95 are each provided with a set screw (not shown) or with a spring retaining means cooperating with the corresponding slot in the appropriate axle, so that they may be retained in position and yet may readily be removed in order to replace the rolls.

As mentioned above the entire mechanism is mounted on base 11 which is adapted to slide into housing 13. Finger holes 96 are provided on the side of the housing to facilitate easy removal of base 11. Details of the in tersection of base 11 with housing 13 are shown in FIG. 10. A projection 97 is provided on the inner edge of slide 14 of housing 13 near bottom 16 to provide for sliding engagement with the edge of base 11. In this way when housing 13 is fastened to the top of a cash register or to a shelf or the like base 11 can be slid like a drawer out of housing 13 sufficiently to enable the rolls of stamps to be replaced without requiring that the base 11 be supported separately or be removed completely from housing 13. A lock may be provided engaging front 12 of base 11 with side 14 of housing 13 to prevent unauthor ized removal of base 11 from housing 13. Similarly locks can be provided for dials 17 and 18.

As described, gears 46, 46' and 47, 47' and drive wheel 51, 51' are so proportioned that strip 24 of stamps is advanced a distance equal to the length of one stamp each time dial 17 or 18 is rotated a distance equal to the distance between adjoining holes. In this the prefered form, two strips 24 of stamps are fed simultaneously by dial 17 in order that ten stamps may be delivered for eachsuch one hole rotation of dial 17, the feed rolls being five stamps wide. Alternatively the relative ratio of gears 46 and 47 can be changed or the diameter of wheel 51 altered in order that the strip 24 of stamps is advanced a distance equal to two stamps for each one hole of rotation of dial 17. If this is done stamp roll 25 and the supports therefor may be eliminated and the stamp dispensing device reduced in height by an equivalent distance. Similar adjustment of the relative ratios of gear 46 and 47 or 46 and 47' and of the diameter of wheels 51 or 51' would make it possible for the machine to deliver perforated stamps having any distance between successive perforations. It is desirable to adjust the length of the feed so that the perforations always coincide with the cut off strips 31 and 32 or 33 and 34. It is also possible to provide such a device with more than two feed mechanisms in the event that it is desired to dispense more than two strip form, a case, a rotatable dial mounted on said case, a

a rotatable stamp feed roll, gear means connecting said dial with said feed roll, a stamp feed means including an elongated recess adapted to receive said strip of stamps,

a removable cover plate adapted to cover said elongated recess and a backing roll mounted on said feed means and adapted to force said strip of stamps contained in said means into contact with said feed roll.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cover plate is retained in said feed means by a spring clip having two substantially parallel elongated blade elements and an intermediate oval spring element.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said removable cover plate is provided with an aperture to permit the feed roll to come into contact with the stamps contained in the feed means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Alexander Mar. 21, 1939 Steiner July 9, 1940 Price et al. July 8, 1941 Steen et al. Oct. 14, 1941 Singer June 17, 1952 Waltz Apr. 16, 1963 

1. IN A MACHINE FOR DISPENSING PERFORATED STAMPS IN STRIP FORM, A CASE, A ROTATABLE DIAL MOUNTED ON SAID CASE, A ROTATABLE STAMP FEED ROLL, GEAR MEANS CONNECTING SAID DIAL WITH SAID FEED ROLL, A STAMP FEED MEANS INCLUDING AN ELONGATED RECESS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE SAID STRIP OF STAMPS, A REMOVABLE COVER PLATE ADAPTED TO COVER SAID ELONGATED RECESS AND A BACKING ROLL MOUNTED ON SAID FEED MEANS AND ADAPTED TO FORCE SAID STRIP OF STAMPS CONTAINED IN SAID MEANS INTO CONTACT WITH SAID FEED ROLL. 